You’ve checked your child’s car seat lately for car seat errors – right?
Stats show that at least 61% of parents have not just ONE error with their child’s car seat, but 5 or MORE issues. And that’s directly impacts your child’s safety.
.….right?
The good thing? Most parents make the same errors – so we can go through those “most common” ones, to keep your little one safe – and give you peace of mind.
One category of most common errors is not changing settings as your child grows – so here’s what to check. And please – share this with anyone who drives your little in THEIR car as well! AND – since this can feel like A LOT to remember, I made a handy “Car Sats Cheat-Sheet”. Fill it out with your own seat info (found on the manuals or seat) and post it somewhere, to help you remember when YOUR child needs these transitions made.
Continuing to use the LATCH connector, after your child is past its weight limit
- The LATCH connector that comes with newer cars is FABULOUS – and SO helpful! BUT, it has a weight limit – it can only hold TOTAL 65 pounds – meaning that once the sum weight of your child AND their car seat is greater than 65 pounds, the LATCH will no longer securely hold them in an accident. At that point, you need to disconnect the seat from the LATCH, and use your car’s seat belt to hold the seat in place. Be sure to check the weight of your seat (and hence you’ll know the LATCH limit), and when your child exceeds the allowable weight, it’s time to do this transition.
Not raising the shoulder straps as child grows.
- The positioning of the shoulder straps is key for keeping kiddo safe in an accident – but the proper height of them depends on whether your seat is rear-facing or forward facing. (for rear-facing, straps should be just at or below top of shoulders, for forward-facing, they should be just at or above shoulders.). Again – all of this is in the cheat-sheet.
Turning child forward too soon
- One of the most common errors I see as an ER doctor is parents turning their car seats around too early. However, stats show that when children are facing forward prematurely, they are FAR more likely to have injuries to their legs, head and spine, than when they are rear-facing. A video graphic shows what happens when a child is turned forward to soon.
- What to do: Keep kiddo rear-facing as long as your car seat allows. That means at LEAST until they are 2 years old. Most can go easily to age 3, and some as old as 4 or 5.
Advancing from a 5-point to a booster too soon
- Kids want out of the “baby seat” and into the “big kids booster” – I GET it. And just when you thought you had outgrown being vulnerable to peer pressure!! Keep them in the 5-point harness until they reach either the max height or weight for the chair. Definitely don’t advance them if they’re less than the height and weight limits, AND they’re not going to reliably sit in the seat without wiggling or leaning over, which puts them at even greater risk of injury in an accident.
